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The structure of the family
Analyse types of family structures essay
Analyse types of family structures essay
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Family is a universal concept in which different structures are formed. Every individual has a unique way to define their family. Family is difficult to define since society is constantly changing. People evolving enable them to expand their family possibilities not limiting their structures to be ideal. An ideal family in American society consisted of a heterosexual couple with 1.5 children living under the same household. This family structure is limited because not all people’s circumstances would allow them to live under this family structure since every person is different. This paper will explain how the family structure changes because divorce, step-parenting, and foster parenting are new forms of family influencing other aspects of …show more content…
They can provide a comfort zone for these children as well as a family to look over them. Not every foster parent takes in children because they care or want to become parents of these children but rather for an income. Usually single mothers become foster parent to children who need a home because they need that income in order to sustain their biological family. Single mother are at times more at a disadvantage when sustaining their families therefore, becoming a foster parent is the best way to have a stable income and allows them to stay at home without living their own children. These single mothers do not have to leave their home and look for jobs when they become a foster parent because they can just continue doing what they were doing which is be the nurturer of her children and foster kids and do her mommy …show more content…
Families are formed by different aspects such as divorce, step-parenting, and foster parenting. These three types of families are more acceptable among society because it is understood that everyone has a different lifestyle. Each individual has a different perspective of what the meaning to a family is therefore, families are form
Foster parents goal is to provide for the child with stability as well as whatever help the child may need in terms of: medical or psychological (Brozak, 1-2). By fostering out these children they are provide a safe environment for them. Knowing that someone saved and made a difference in this child 's life is a blessing. This helps them during this transitional period. Some people believe that foster care can cause problems in the family. As in, not being able to have your own space, being emotional, or having a hard time adjusting. What people do not see Is these benefits your family. They began to learn how to serve others by welcoming people in need to their home. They learn how to share their space and important people as in, mom and dad. There becomes an extension in foster care. Foster children gain more caring adults through foster parents and other extended family. Family will also gain a broader world view. They will learn about different cultures, races, and family values. A family picks up all these traits from their parents fostering a child. It provides a family with a boarder aspect of life and improves their social kills and ways to work with others. This will help your family in their adult life. By foster care you are benefiting the foster child, foster family, but also the birth parents of the
Families are becoming more diverse and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some people consider families to be strictly biological, while others consider people they love to be their family. Although two-parent families, also known as a nuclear family are the majority, one-parent families are becoming more common in today’s society. A sole-parent is considered to be a parent without a partner or spouse who is the primary care giver of one or more children in a household (Ministry of Social Development, 2010). From the age of 14 onward I was raised by m...
Alice Elliott Dark’s In the Gloaming, represents how much family time is important to one’s heart. “…caregiving must be a way of life. This does not mean that caregiving is all of life.” Alice shows the opposite of good family time to hint at the reader of what is really going on behind the scenes. The author “pulls the reader directly into the world of caregiving by dramatizing the meaning of reciprocal human relationships. It also highlights some of the central themes of this book- that there is a difference between caring as sentiment and caring as practice, that caring is crucial to the human community, and that it entails skills that can be taught and learned.” The main character, Laird, was a normal teenager who liked to have fun and hang out with his friends. Laird and his parents did not have the closest relationship but they would still talk about certain things. Everything was turned upside down for Laird, his parents and somewhat for his sister as well. He became very sick with an unnamed illness. Laird never wanted to talk to his parents about the illness because he was embarrassed.
Today, in a world of the “postmodern family” the traditional lines of family structure are blurred. Children may come from diverse types of homes, or a couple, married or not may choose to have no children and consider themselves a family. The roots of these modern families may stem from ethnic origins, sexual orientations, or even seen as a rebellion of sorts from traditional ways. Children may live in homes of single parents, which is an exceedingly more common phenomenon as the divorce rate well publicized at around fifty percent. They may also live with homosexual parents either as a biological child of one partner or adopted by both. Also, the traditional married couple may choose to adopt locally or internationally, potentially blending ethnic backgrounds into one household. Whatever the background of the new nuclear family the challenges and experiences follow similar patterns.
The sociological definition of the family is “a set of people related by blood, marriage or some other agreed-upon relationship, or adoption, who share the primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for members of society” (Schaeffer, 2009, p. 288). While the nuclear family (a man, a woman, and their children) was once the primary definition of family, now it refers to many familial configurations. Single-parent families, blended families, same-sex couples, traditional nuclear families and single-parents who have adopted are just a few of the configurations that society in general now views as a family. A healthy family will provide a place of unconditional love, acceptance and support.
In 2009, American Broadcast Channel changed the way America viewed families with the premiere of the hit television show Modern Family. The show follows three families, Jay Pritchett’s and his two children, from his first marriage, Mitchell and Claire. Jay is married to a much younger woman, Gloria, who has a child from a previous marriage, named Manny. Mitchell lives with his partner Cameron and they have an adopted Vietnamese daughter, Lily. Claire’s family is the most like the traditional family. She is married to her husband Phil Dunphy and together they have three kids, Haley, Alex, and Luke (Modern Family). The show exposes the families’ struggles to get along and survive with such a different way of living. With that said, their family picture demonstrates very well all of the strong personalities and roles of each family member.
Once upon a time, a traditional family structure was created by one man marrying one woman and procreating. Within the last few years, this has begun to change. Family structures are now being changed and created through divorce and remarriage, same-sex partners, and single-parents. When the leaders of these family structures can no longer co-exist, divorce or separation comes. If children are involved, a custody agreement needs to be arranged.
In order for society to meet the basic social needs of its members, social institutions, which are not buildings, or an organization or even people, but a system whose of social norms, mores and folkways that help make people feel important. Social institutions, according to our textbook, is defined as a fundamental component of this organization in which individuals, occupying defined statues, are “regulated by social norms, public opinion, law and religion” (Amato 2004, p.961). Social institutions are meant to meet people’s basic needs and enable the society to survive. Because social institutions prescribe socially accepted beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviors, they exert considerable social control over individuals.
The family has been referred to as the most vital of the social institutions (Alexander, 2010). The definition of what it means to be a family has evolved over the past several generations. In technical terms, the U.S. Census Bureau defines a family as a group of two or more people residing together related by birth, marriage, or adoption. (U.S. Census, 2010). Categories of families that fit this definition include married couples with and without children, blended families, single parent, and extended family households. Same-sex and unmarried couples with and without children and individuals living alone are not included in this group, though they are a rising segment of the population. The make-up of family and household types at any given time has major consequences for society (Katz & Stern, 2007). Major systems such as economic political, legal, and other social institutions are all impacted by changes in family dynamics. This paper will explore the evolution of the family unit and examine the reciprocal link between this shift and surrounding systems. The relationship between these changes and contemporary systems theory will also be discussed.
Family life has changed greatly since the 1950’s. In those years, every aspect of a family was based upon certain roles performed by the spouses. Today, wives no longer solely cook for the family or take care of the children and husbands are no longer the singular providers for the family. The change in roles creates more confusion, which then increases the levels of necessary involvement and attempts for successful family functioning. Family provides people with important relationships in their life. These relationships assist family members in learning how to relate to others and grow through the ability to communicate. Family relationships are not easy to uphold, therefore family members need to put effort into their relationships in order to advance family functionality. Group work, similar to a family, is a difficult collaboration that requires equal and valuable contribution from every member. The relations between family members determine the family’s overall success. Throughout the different types of family relationships, including marital, parent-child, and sibling, the parents prove to be an essential aide in the development of the relationships. Each type of relationship helps to better other relationships throughout the family. Learning to create and sustain one type of relationship helps to create and sustain other types of familial relationships. Family relationships require the parents to enhance the amount of cohesion, flexibility, and communication across each relationship to ensure family functionality.
When the word “family” is discussed most people think of mothers, fathers, and other siblings. Some people think of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even cousins and more on the pedigree tree. Without family in people 's lives they would not be the same people that they grew up to be today and in the future. When people hear the word family they think about, the ones who will help them in any way they can whether it 's money, support, advice, or anything to help them succeed in life. Family will forever be the backbone of support. They are the ones who support their children during those life decisions. Family is not always blood related. Finally family is forever, family will never go away.
What do you personally believe are the most important functions of family? Why or why not be specific. The most important functions I will say is social unit. This shows a person from a child to adult what it means to be part of society. There not just one specific function that makes a perfect family. There are many factors that help make a better family. According to www.hrsbstaff.ednet.ca_of_the_family.htm “ A functional family is one in which family members fulfill their agreed upon roles and responsibilities, treat each other with respect and affection, and meet each other needs. To better understand family functions Talcott Parson a sociologist stated “that the main functions of the family were, “ to ensure that new babies actually
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a family is "a group of two or more people who reside together and who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption.” (Eutk). In the beginning, family was considered to be all of the individuals who contributed to the household as far as bringing in money; including servants and non-parental adults, who are also considered part of the family if they play a large role in the upbringing or care-taking of children other than their own. But in fact, over the last few centuries until present day, the institution of the family has completely changed. In the late-18th Century, marriage was considered just a union based on love, but as time passed, there were other financial, social, and political shifts in the United States and in other countries. Throughout our course readings in Gender Studies, we see the ideas of continuity and change in regards to the American family unit. There were multiple factors that influenced the institution of the family unit, including the argument that marriage was seen as a contract of survival, the privatization of marriage, as well as the idea that traditional families never existed.
The meaning of family varies from place to place and from culture to culture. One all-encompassing definition that describes every type of family across the board does not exist. For instance, in places like China children can be raised apart from their father and mother in a group of women, but still count themselves a family. Alan C. Acock in his book Family Diversity and Well Being states that a married couple with no children is not considered a family (122), but some married couples may contest this theory. In fact, there are more variations on modern family structure than ever before, including non-traditional families where grandparents raise their grandchildren, adoptive families, foster families, and blended families with children from two or more sets of parents (“Power Tools”). Despite the challenges faced by many families today, I believe that the children of the current generation—known as Generation Y—can thrive as long as they receive nurture and enrichment from their family members. As a member of Generation Y myself, I speak from first-hand experience. In the following paragraphs, I will give an account of my own upbringing in Nepal that led to my current status as a college student in the USA. I will also briefly describe family structures in America, and compare them to Nepali family structure. In the end, I propose that nurture is the key to producing well-adjusted children today, regardless of family type or where the children are raised.
Everyone seems to define family differently, however, the significance of family is the same. For you, family means everything. You can always count on your parents and siblings for help and love. Family is very valuable and important to you and should never be taken for granted. No one can deny that family is the foundation of our generation. A family is where we all start our life journey and helps us grow to be successful throughout our lives.